1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hand rakes in which the spread of the tines and working length of the tines are adjustable.
2. State of the Prior Art
Rakes having tines which are adjustable for different operations are well known. For example, Tanaka in U.S. Pat. No. 1,663,395 discloses an adjustable rake in which tines are spaced apart at their upper ends and retained in a bracket which is secured to the rake handle by a clamp having a wing nut. Pairs of tines are joined together at their upper end through a downturned anchor. The spacing of the tines at the upper end limits the adjustability of the tine spread at the bottom portion of the rake.
Another adjustable rake is disclosed by Rienacker et al. in U.S. Pat. number 3,258,903. The Rienacker rake has the upper ends of tines in contact with each other and freely hinged into a carrier. In this arrangement, special provisions must be made to maintain the carrier in fixed angular positions with respect to the guide at the bottom of the handle. A cumbersome locking mechanism such as a thumbscrew loosens the carrier on the handle when adjusting the tines and the alignment relationship may not be maintained upon tightening the locking mechanism.
Still another adjustable rake is disclosed by Henne in U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,536. The Henne rake has a slidable tine retainer comprising a pair of identical brackets with a slot at the bottom portion to engage outwardly formed tine ends. A ring secures the retainer to the handle. The tines are held loosely by the bracket and with use the bracket spread can result in the tines falling out of the retainer during adjustment of the tines. Further, the retainer can rotate on the handle with respect to the guide at the bottom of the handle in the absence of special handle indentations. Again, the adjustment of the rake is rather cumbersome.